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How to become a Data Scientist

Finds patterns in data and builds models that make predictions.

What does a Data Scientist actually do?

More about this career

Finds patterns in data and builds models that predict things – which customers will leave, which transactions are fraud, which patients are at risk – combining statistics, coding and business sense. Companies increasingly hire for this from statistics, computer science, actuarial science or engineering degrees, not one fixed path.

Where this degree can take you

  • Data Analyst
  • Machine Learning Engineer
  • Business Intelligence Analyst
  • Quantitative Analyst

This is our general description of the role and related jobs, not from an official source – it’s here to give you a fuller picture, not as a careers-counselling guarantee.

Not from an official source

Subjects that usually help

  • Mathematics
  • Information Technology (helpful)

This is our general guidance about which school subjects suit this career. It is not an admission requirement and not from an official source – the real requirements are on the degrees below.

Not from an official source

Where to check this yourself

What the programmes we’ve captured actually ask for

  • Mathematics – asked for by 18 of 18 programmes
  • Physical Sciences – asked for by 8 of 18 programmes

Counted from the requirements below (an “or” alternative counts for each subject named). Each programme links to the page it came from.

Programmes that lead here

18 programmes at 9 universities. More are added as we verify them.

North-West University

BSc (Business Analytics)

Natural & Agricultural Sciences · 3 years

NWU APS 32 points out of 48

  • Mathematics: level 6 (70% or more)

Raw-confirmed 2026-10-04 against the user-supplied NWU 2026 Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences yearbook (admission-requirements tables). Potchefstroom and Vanderbijlpark campuses. NWU adds your six best subjects (excluding Life Orientation) on an 8-point scale, for a total out of 48 - read from NWU’s own APS calculator. The requirement shown is what NWU publishes.

Source: View the official page (studies.nwu.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Sol Plaatje University

From an older document

BSc Data Science

Natural & Applied Sciences · 3 years

SPU APS 30

  • English: level 4 (50% or more) OR English: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)

Raw-confirmed 2026-10-04 against SPU’s own 2026 Undergraduate Prospectus (the 2027 edition is only published as an online viewer that could not be read) - APS and levels match; confirm the 2027 prospectus before relying on a cut-off. From SPU’s Faculty of Natural & Applied Sciences programme page. We could not confirm the 2027 application closing date (only a stale 2021 date was found on SPU’s applications page).

Source: View the official page (spu.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Stellenbosch University

Selection programme

BDatSci (Data Science)

Science · 4 years

Stellenbosch aggregate 80 %

  • Mathematics: 80%
  • English: 60% if it is your Home Language, 75% if it is your First Additional Language

Every Stellenbosch programme is a selection programme. The figures shown are the published minimum requirements - the actual selection threshold is usually higher.

Source: View the official page (files.su.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Selection programme

BCom (Management Sciences) with focal area Business Analytics

Economic and Management Sciences · 3 years

Stellenbosch aggregate 65 %

  • Language – English Home Language 50% OR Afrikaans Home Language 50% OR Afrikaans First Additional Language 70% OR English First Additional Language 70%.
  • Mathematics: 60%

Read 2026-10-04 from the Stellenbosch 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus (page images). The number shown is the NSC aggregate (excluding Life Orientation). Page 7. Every Stellenbosch programme is a selection programme. The figures shown are the published minimum requirements - the actual selection threshold is usually higher.

Source: View the official page (files.su.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Selection programme

BSc (interdisciplinary: Biomedical Mathematical Sciences, Applied Medicinal Chemistry, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Biomathematics)

Science · 3 years

Stellenbosch aggregate 65 %

  • English or Afrikaans – English OR Afrikaans (Home Language or First Additional Language) at 50%.
  • Mathematics: 70%
  • Physical Sciences: 50%

Read 2026-10-04 from the Stellenbosch 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus (page images). The number shown is the NSC aggregate (excluding Life Orientation). Page 15. Every Stellenbosch programme is a selection programme. The figures shown are the published minimum requirements - the actual selection threshold is usually higher.

Source: View the official page (files.su.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of Cape Town

BCom / BBusSc Computer Science; Statistics & Data Science

Commerce · 3 years

UCT Faculty Points Score 435 out of 600 (band a)

  • Mathematics: 70%
  • English: 50% if it is your Home Language, 60% if it is your First Additional Language
  • NBT – NBT Academic Literacy and Quantitative Literacy must be Upper Intermediate or above.

Band A (guaranteed offer) is an FPS of 435. Band B (likely offer) is a WPS of 470 - the WPS adds a 0-10% disadvantage factor that we cannot work out from your marks, so we only check you against Band A. Band C (430-434, Education Development Unit only) applies to redress categories only. BBusSc is 4 years.

Source: View the official page (uct.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

BBusSc Statistics & Data Science

Commerce · 4 years

UCT Faculty Points Score 435 out of 600 (band a)

  • Mathematics: 70%
  • English: 50% if it is your Home Language, 60% if it is your First Additional Language
  • NBT – NBT Academic Literacy and Quantitative Literacy must be Upper Intermediate or above. The NBT Maths test is not required for Commerce.

Band A (guaranteed offer) is an FPS of 435. Band B (likely offer) is a WPS of 470 - the WPS adds a 0-10% disadvantage factor that we cannot work out from your marks, so we only check you against Band A. Band C (430-434, Education Development Unit only) applies to redress categories only. Mathematics 70% and a four-year BBusSc; the three-year BCom version also exists.

Source: View the official page (uct.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

BSc Applied Statistics

Science · 3 years

UCT Science Faculty Points Score 660 out of 800 (band a)

  • Mathematics: 70%
  • Physical Sciences: 60%

Band A (guaranteed offer) is an FPS of 660. Band B (likely offer) is a WPS of 640 - the WPS adds a 0-10% disadvantage factor that we cannot work out from your marks, so we only check you against Band A. Band C (550) applies to redress categories only. All Science majors share these entry bands (Mathematics 70%+, Physical Sciences 60%+; NBTs in Mathematics, AL and QL must be written but do not affect admission). Admission is to the BSc and a major is chosen once you are in; selected students may be counselled onto the four-year Extended Degree Programme.

Source: View the official page (uct.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

BSc Artificial Intelligence

Science · 3 years

UCT Science Faculty Points Score 660 out of 800 (band a)

  • Mathematics: 70%
  • Physical Sciences: 60%

Band A (guaranteed offer) is an FPS of 660. Band B (likely offer) is a WPS of 640 - the WPS adds a 0-10% disadvantage factor that we cannot work out from your marks, so we only check you against Band A. Band C (550) applies to redress categories only. All Science majors share these entry bands (Mathematics 70%+, Physical Sciences 60%+; NBTs in Mathematics, AL and QL must be written but do not affect admission). Admission is to the BSc and a major is chosen once you are in; selected students may be counselled onto the four-year Extended Degree Programme. Designed to be completed as a co-major with Computer Science, Mathematical Statistics or Mathematics.

Source: View the official page (uct.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

BSc Mathematical Statistics

Science · 3 years

UCT Science Faculty Points Score 660 out of 800 (band a)

  • Mathematics: 70%
  • Physical Sciences: 60%

Band A (guaranteed offer) is an FPS of 660. Band B (likely offer) is a WPS of 640 - the WPS adds a 0-10% disadvantage factor that we cannot work out from your marks, so we only check you against Band A. Band C (550) applies to redress categories only. All Science majors share these entry bands (Mathematics 70%+, Physical Sciences 60%+; NBTs in Mathematics, AL and QL must be written but do not affect admission). Admission is to the BSc and a major is chosen once you are in; selected students may be counselled onto the four-year Extended Degree Programme.

Source: View the official page (uct.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

BSc Statistics & Data Science

Science · 3 years

UCT Science Faculty Points Score 660 out of 800 (band a)

  • Mathematics: 70%
  • Physical Sciences: 60%

Band A (guaranteed offer) is an FPS of 660. Band B (likely offer) is a WPS of 640 - the WPS adds a 0-10% disadvantage factor that we cannot work out from your marks, so we only check you against Band A. Band C (550) applies to redress categories only. All Science majors share these entry bands (Mathematics 70%+, Physical Sciences 60%+; NBTs in Mathematics, AL and QL must be written but do not affect admission). Admission is to the BSc and a major is chosen once you are in; selected students may be counselled onto the four-year Extended Degree Programme.

Source: View the official page (uct.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of Johannesburg

BSc (Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics)

Science · 3 years

UJ APS 31 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 6 (70% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

Read from the 2027 UJ Undergraduate Prospectus, programme code B2M41Q. Physical Science level 4 (50%+), or 5 (60%+) when Chemistry 1A or Physics 1A/S1 is part of the programme. English level 5 (60%+). Technical Mathematics and Technical Science are not accepted for Faculty of Science degrees.

Source: View the official page (uj.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

BSc (Mathematical Statistics and Computer Science)

Science · 3 years

UJ APS 31 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 6 (70% or more)

Read from the 2027 UJ Undergraduate Prospectus, programme code B2M44Q. English level 5 (60%+). Technical Mathematics and Technical Science are not accepted for Faculty of Science degrees.

Source: View the official page (uj.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of Pretoria

BCom specialising in Statistics and Data Science

Economic & Management Sciences · 3 years

UP APS 32 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)

Presented jointly with UP’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Confirmed against the user-supplied EMS 2027 Faculty Brochure. Most UP closing dates are 30 June; Veterinary Science closes 31 May. Grade 12 applicants apply with their final Grade 11 results.

Source: View the official page (drupalwebprod-files.up.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of the Free State

BCom (Business Analytics)

Economic & Management Sciences

UFS AP score 34 points out of 49

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 4 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)

RAW-CONFIRMED against the 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus. The highest published AP among UFS’s BCom streams.

Source: View the official page (ufs.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Selection programme

BSc (Data Science)

Natural & Agricultural Sciences · 3 years

UFS AP score 32 points out of 49

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 4 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 6 (70% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 5 (60% or more)

Read 2026-10-04 from the table on the faculty’s page in the UFS 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus (page images). Plan code BC432295 (BSc in Information Technology); all BSc (IT) programmes are subject to a selection process.

Source: View the official page (ufs.ac.za) (opens the official page)

University of the Witwatersrand

BSc Biological Sciences: Applied Bioinformatics

Science · 3 years

Wits APS 43 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)
  • NBT – All Faculty of Science applicants must write the NBT (registration deadline 31 October 2026).

Read from the live 2027 course-finder page on 2026-10-04. Applications close 30 September 2026. APS 41-42 may be wait-listed.

Source: View the official page (wits.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Walter Sisulu University

BSc Applied Statistical Sciences

Natural Sciences · 3 years

WSU APS 25 points out of 48 (56 for Education programmes)

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

Raw-read 2026-10-04 from WSU’s own 2027 Undergraduate Information Brochure & Admission Requirements (main-stream figures; Extended Curriculum Programmes accept a lower APS, noted where the brochure gives one). Extended Curriculum (4 years): APS 23, Mathematics level 4, Physical Sciences level 3. Applications: the brochure lists no closing date - check wsu.ac.za.

Source: View the official page (wsu.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Are your marks enough?

Put your subjects in once and we’ll check them against every programme above – scored each university’s own way.

What do I qualify for?